Emily Tang with her design.
When Emily Tang’s grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2009, she was determined to do something to help.
“Although the disease affected his mobility, the fact that there is no cure affected him psychologically,” she says. While there are medications to slow down the debilitating effects, simple acts like showering and using the toilet became immensely tricky and intimidating for her grandfather. And as the disease progressed further, he started to require assistance when using bathroom, which lowered his self-esteem and affected his confidence.
“The act of turning around to use the toilet poses a huge problem, especially when one has restricted mobility,” says Tang, who witnessed firsthand the debilitating effects of the disease. “Not only does it prolong the time that it takes to carry out their business, it also increases the risk of falls and accidents.”
“A lot of family members don’t know how bad the disease can get, and this creates a lot of misunderstanding. Some family members might get angry at how slow the patients are, causing the sufferers to lose confidence in themselves for not being able to complete tasks they could previously do with ease,” she added.
So, when she started work on her final year project in Industrial Product and Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Tang, chose to consider changing how we interact with the toilet , and developed something that would help her grandfather and patients alike.
With the support of her professor, whose mother also suffers from Parkinson’s, Tang, 23, came up with Libue: a toilet design that can be used by both patients, as well as their family members.
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| Libue: The Parkinson's Toilet Suitable for Everyone |
Libue allows the user to sit on the toilet directly in a position similar to that of riding a horse. It also has automatic cleaning functions to ensure proper hygiene after use.
“Parkinson’s disease causes patients’ to suffer from constipation as the movement of the intestine becomes increasingly sluggish,” explains Tang, who for this reason also engineered a warm water function to help with constipation. Supporting bars are also integrated for the patient to use the toilet independently.
Tang wanted one single adaptive toilet for everyone at home. And even without a background in engineering, she figured out how to quickly revert Libue into a conventional toilet for other family members to use, eliminating the need for them to invest in a separate disabled toilet.
“Ultimately, Libue aims to help users redeem their dignity and alleviate responsibilities of family members and caregivers,” she added.
“Currently, products made for the ageing society, functionally, still have immense space for improvement,” says Tang, adding, “once implemented, they often give off a very hostile feel, making home feel like a hospital, reminding users that they are ‘different’.”
Emily Tang (bottom row, third from left) at the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards this year. She won for her outstanding contribution to society.
In October of this year, together with her partner, Tang founded Studio Doozy, a healthcare and lifestyle product design studio that aims to extend people’s ability to age independently at home.
Tang won the James Dyson Award – which recognizes innovative inventions – for Libue, and served an internship at Roca, a Spanish company known for its bathroom furniture.
She is now hoping to complete the development of Libue 2.0 and have it available on the market by the end of 2018. In three years time, she aims to have a full-fledged product line that aims to create age-friendly, safe and beautiful homes for the ageing society.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rheamogul/2017/12/26/meet-the-hong-kong-entrepreneur-redesigning-toilets-for-parkinsons-patients/#3f3c70a24469
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